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Haas Reduces Production, Slashes Overtime in California

With the vast majority of global machine tools coming out of Europe and Asia, California-based Haas Automation might sound like it’s in a perfect position to benefit from tariffs placed on imports that President Donald Trump says will kickstart American manufacturing.

However, any longer-term reshoring is way off in the distance. Instead, Haas is facing an immediate pullback in production from its manufacturing customers as they weigh increases in raw materials and components prices.

“In recent days, we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in demand for our machine tools from both domestic and foreign customers,” Haas automations official said. “Out of caution, we have reduced production and eliminated overtime at our sole manufacturing plant in Oxnard, California, where we employ 1,700 workers and have been in operation since 1983. We have also halted hiring and put new employment requisitions on hold.”

Because reshoring will require new equipment, Haas officials said they’re worried that the administration could slash tariffs on machines from Taiwan (companies such as YCM and Hartford), Japan (Okuma, Makino) and Korea (DN Solutions, Hwacheon) to avoid making manufacturing investments in the U.S. more expensive.

Worse, Haas imports some of the materials and components it uses in its machine tools, so tariff breaks for Asian machine tool makers could give them a major cost advantage over American-produced machines.

“Without a corresponding reduction in tariff rates for imported raw materials and components into the U.S., such a scenario would be catastrophic to the $5 billion U.S. machine tool industry, which is a key component of U.S. national security,” Haas officials said.

—Robert Schoenberger

https://www.industryweek.com/the-economy/article/55280943/so-that-happened-haas-cuts-california-manufacturing-because-of-tariffs

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/153806

OS 2.0 is now available for the Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II synthesizer. | Image: Teenage Engineering

Nearly a year and a half after it first launched the EP-133 KO II synthesizer in late 2023, Teenage Engineering has released its first major software update. The OS 2.0 update, which can be downloaded to the synth through a web browser or installed using a USB cable, includes features like creating new samples from existing samples or beats, hands-free sampling while playing another instrument, and the ability to layer and play more sounds simultaneously.

You can see all of the new features in the OS 2.0 release notes, but the most significant update appears to be new resampling capabilities that let you process or add effects to existing samples to create brand new ones. The update also allows you to create new samples by capturing snippets of a beat made up of previously recorded samples. The KO II is also getting a new hands-free sampling mode letting you record the sounds from an instrument that requires two hands to play – like a piano – without requiring a third hand to press record or stop on the synth.

Teenage Engineering has also increased the number of sounds that can be layered and played simultaneously on the KO II from 12 mono and six stereo to 16 mono and 12 stereo with OS 2.0 installed. Other upgrades include a new song mode that “adds the ability to chain scenes and create longer, more structured track arrangements,” and sidechaining that “allows one sound to control the volume of another.” So the volume of a bass drum in a beat can be automatically lowered whenever the sound of a kick drum plays so it’s not drowned out.

The $299 KO II falls somewhere in between the company’s $59 Pocket Operator synthesizers and its expensive but highly-capable $1,999 OP-1 Field. It’s positioned as a sort of advanced musical toy, but musicians might now find it a more capable song-making tool with OS 2.0.

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Then add a magnet to your print head and a g-code pause at the sensor

We know you’ve seen them: the time-lapses that show a 3D print coming together layer-by-layer without the extruder taking up half the frame. It takes a little extra work compared to just pointing a camera at the build plate, but it’s worth it to see your prints materialize like magic.

Usually these are done with a plugin for OctoPrint, but with all due respect to that phenomenal project, it’s a lot to get set up if you just want to take some pretty pictures. Which is why [Whopper Printing] put together the LayerLapse. This small PCB is designed to trigger your DSLR or mirrorless camera once its remotely-mounted hall effect sensor detects the presence of a magnet.

The remote hall effect sensor.

The idea is that you just need to stick a small magnet to your extruder, add a bit of extra G-code that will park it over the sensor at the end of each layer, and you’re good to go. There’s even a spare GPIO pin broken out should you want to trigger something else on each layer of your print. Admittedly we can’t think of anything else right now that would make sense, other than some other type of camera, but we’re sure some creative folks out there could put this feature to use.

Currently, [Whopper Printing] is selling the LayerLapse as a finished product, though it does sound like a kit version is in the works. There’s also instructions for building a DIY version of the hardware using your microcontroller of choice. Whether you buy or build the hardware, the firmware is available under the MIT license for your tinkering pleasure.

Being hardware hackers, we appreciate the stand-alone nature of this solution. But if you’re already controlling your printer through OctoPrint, you’re probably better off just setting up one of the available time-lapse plugins.

History of Funk music with interviews with the legends

Except Mars, that would get a pass for his buddy

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/38394903

South Texas county leaders will lose some authority over SpaceX launches under new bill.

The lawmakers behind the bill promised there would not be an increase in the number of days the beach is closed.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/305160

Comments

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/19230205

Cedar Park, Texas, is a suburban enclave that most reminds me of Scottsdale, Ariz. Wide, tree-lined boulevards without much crime and with people going about their lives in their neighbourhoods.

For those who think it's not going to happen locally, it likely already has.